Professional referrals

Buckinghamshire Maternal Mental Health Service (MMHS) accepts referrals from health and social care professionals, such as:

• GPs
• Social workers
• Obstetricians
• Midwives
• Health visitors.

Consent must be obtained from the service user before a referral is made.

Referral criteria

• Patient has a Buckinghamshire GP
• Patient is over 18 years
• Patient is experiencing moderate to severe mental health issues as a result of their current or previous maternity experience which includes:
  • Currently pregnant with a severe fear of childbirth (with or without previous experience of pregnancy)
  • Currently pregnant and have previously experienced a traumatic birth or perinatal loss (miscarriage, termination of pregnancy, still birth, infant death up to a year post birth)
  • Currently pregnant and have previously experienced traumatic events which are negatively impacting on pregnancy or view of birth.
  • Experienced perinatal loss and not currently pregnant (miscarriage, termination of pregnancy, still birth, infant death up to a year post birth).

Please note we are not able to offer bereavement counselling and cannot accept referrals within the first four weeks of loss.

For urgent/acute cases

Please be aware that the Buckinghamshire Maternal Mental Health Service is not an urgent/acute service.

If your patient requires an urgent or emergency referral please consider referral to the Perinatal Mental Health Team.

Professional referral form

We accept referrals using the Buckinghamshire Maternal Mental Health Service referral form directly from any professionals including mental health professionals, midwives, health visitors and GPs.

Please note we currently have a Single Point of Access with the Perinatal Mental Health Team and professional referrals are via bperinatal.referrals@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk

The referrals email inbox is only checked between 9.00am and 4.00pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays).

Please call the Maternal Mental Health Service Duty Clinician on 01865 901 764 if you would like to discuss your referral.

Perinatal Mental Health Pathway for Buckinghamshire version 8 June 2024.